Reversible tent rainfly

ABSTRACT

A rainfly ( 24 ) for a tent ( 20 ). The rainfly ( 24 ) includes a fabric having first and second sides ( 26, 28 ), the first side ( 26 ) being configured to reflect radiant heat energy of the sun so that the inside of a tent on which the rainfly is placed is maintained cooler than a tent not having such a rainfly, and the second side ( 28 ) being configured to absorb or retain radiant heat energy of the sun and keep the tent inside warmer in the winter than a tent not utilizing such a rainfly.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional Application No.60/762,152, filed Jan. 25, 2006, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to tents, and more particularlyto tent construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tents are portable shelters made of lightweight, often waterproof,fabrics. Typically, a tent is a collapsible shelter of canvas or othermaterial stretched over and sustained by a frame. Tents are used forcamping outdoors, or as temporary structures. Tents come in a variety ofshapes, including dome and cabin tents.

Most modern tents typically include a pole structure for supporting thetent. The tent is typically spaced downward and/or inward from the polestructure. For example, a tent may be attached to a pole structure byextending poles for the pole structure through sleeves on the tent, andanchoring ends of the poles to corners of the tent so that the tent isfully supported by the pole structure. Thus, the tent hangs downwardfrom poles via the sleeves. Alternatively, the pole structure may beerected so that the tent is attached to and hangs down from the poleswith different structures, for example by hooks. A rainfly is typicallysupported across the top of the pole structure, and may be additionallyattached to the ground by stakes or may be attached to the tent inanother manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with an embodiment, a rainfly for a tent is provided thatincludes protection from ultraviolet rays for individuals inside thetent. In an embodiment, the tent fly has an ultraviolet protectionfactor (UPF) for individuals within the tent of 50 or greater.

In an embodiment, the rainfly also has the ability to protect fabricfrom ultraviolet color and/or strength degradation. Thus, the rainflyand tent fabric under the rainfly do not fade excessively when exposedto ultraviolet light and exhibit color fastness.

In accordance with another embodiment, a rainfly may be made of a fabricthat is designed to reflect radiant heat energy of the sun, andtherefore keep a tent under the rainfly cool in the summer. Inaccordance with another embodiment, the rainfly may include materialthat allows the rainfly to absorb or retain the heat energy of the sunand keep the inside of the tent warm in the winter. In an embodiment, arainfly is reversible, and provides both of these features.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a tent having a rainflyincorporating an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the tent of FIG. 1 with the rainflyturned upside down.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments of the presentinvention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specificconfigurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may beomitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment beingdescribed.

The present invention is directed to a rainfly for a tent. Rain fliesare known, and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. ApplicationPublication Number 2005/0056591-A1, published Mar. 31, 2005.

An example is shown in FIG. 1, where a tent 20 includes a pole structure22. A rainfly 24 is positioned on the pole structure and is spaced fromthe tent in a manner known in the art. In the embodiment shown in FIG.1, the rainfly includes a first surface 26 (shown as the upper surfacein FIG. 1) and a second surface 28 (shown as the lower surface in FIG.1).

In an embodiment, the rainfly 24 is designed to have an ultravioletprotection factor (UPF) for protecting occupants of the tent fromultraviolet rays of the sun. In an embodiment, the protection is 50 UPFor higher. The rainfly may include, for example, a coating that includesan ultraviolet protective additive, such as a blocker or inhibitor. Asan example, the coating may be a SILTEX coating, which is a urethanecoating with aluminum paste and may include an ultraviolet inhibitoradditive. Other ultraviolet protective additives may be added to arainfly. Preferably, the fabric used for the rainfly would demonstratewater repellency/water resistance and color fastness to wet/dry crocking(dry class 4.0 and wet class 3.0) and static wetting (class 3.5) andmeet the CPAI-84 flammability requirements for camping tent materials.

In accordance with another embodiment, the rainfly 24 provides a coatingor material to protect the fabric of the rainfly from ultravioletcolor/strength degradation, so that the fabric does not fade excessivelywhen exposed to UV light and exhibits a colorfastness, for example ofClass 4.0 after 40 hours of Fade-Ometer exposure. The rainfly 24 alsopreferably demonstrates at least 50 lb/in tensile strength.

In accordance with another embodiment, the rainfly 24 provides theability to reflect radiant heat energy of the sun so that the inside ofthe tent 20 is maintained cooler than a tent not having such a rainfly.

In accordance with another embodiment, a rainfly provides an ability toabsorb or retain radiant heat energy of the sun and keep the inside ofthe tent 20 warmer in the winter than a tent not utilizing such arainfly.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a single rainfly, such asthe rainfly 24, provides both the reflection and absorptioncharacteristics described above. These features may be provided, forexample, on opposite sides of the rainfly. Such a rainfly may bereversible, and the side which faces upwards is determined based uponthe weather in which the tent will be used.

As an example, the rainfly 24 may include a laminated fabric thatincludes a light color fabric on the first side 26 and a dark colorfabric on the second side 28. The light color fabric is exposed upwardduring warmer months of the year so as to reflect radiant heat energy ofthe sun away from the tent 20. This arrangement is shown in FIG. 1,where the first side 26 is facing upward. In cooler months, the darkcolor fabric faces upward so that the radiant heat energy of the sun maybe absorbed and the tent 20 made warmer. This second arrangement isshown in FIG. 2, where the rainfly 24 has been turned upside down, andthe dark color fabric is on top of the rainfly 24.

If desired, if a laminate rainfly is utilized, a urethane coating withadded white pigments may be positioned in between the first and secondlayers of the fabric. The white pigments may be, for example, titaniumdioxide. This coating adds to the reflection and/or absorbingcharacteristics of the rainfly.

As another example, the rainfly 24 may be made of a single piece offabric that has a urethane or other coating with dark pigments on oneside of the fabric and a reflective coating, such as a SILTEX coatingwith an ultraviolet additive, on the other side of the fabric.

In still another embodiment, a dark rainfly may be provided that istreated on one side with a SILTEX coating and ultraviolet additives. TheSILTEX coating and ultraviolet additives aid in reflecting the radiantheat energy of the sun when that side of the rainfly is exposed upward.

To aid in use of the rainfly in a reversible manner, attachments for therainfly may be provided so that it may connect in either configuration.For example, grommets, tie strings, hooks, or other features on therainfly that are positioned along edges of the rainfly may be arrangedso that they can attach when the rainfly is in either configuration. Inaddition, the seams for the rainfly, if any, are preferably sealed sothat water repellency is provided in either configuration.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A rainfly, comprising: a fabric having first and second sides, thefirst side being configured to reflect radiant heat energy of the sun sothat the inside of a tent on which the rainfly is placed is maintainedcooler in the sun than a tent not having such a rainfly, and the secondside being configured to absorb or retain radiant heat energy of the sunand keep the tent inside warmer in the sun than a tent not utilizingsuch a rainfly.
 2. The rainfly of claim 1, further comprising alaminated fabric with a first fabric extending along and attached to asecond fabric, and wherein the first fabric comprises the first side,and wherein the second fabric comprises the second side.
 3. The rainflyof claim 2, wherein the laminated fabric comprises a coating with whitepigments positioned in between the first and second layers of thefabric.
 4. The rainfly of claim 3, wherein the coating comprises aurethane coating.
 5. The rainfly of claim 4, wherein the white pigmentscomprise titanium dioxide.
 6. The rainfly of claim 3, wherein the whitepigments comprise titanium dioxide.
 7. The rainfly of claim 2, whereinthe first fabric comprises a light color fabric and the second fabriccomprises a dark color fabric.
 8. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein thefabric comprises only one piece of fabric.
 9. The rainfly of claim 8,wherein said only one piece of fabric comprises a coating with darkpigments on the second side of the fabric and a reflective coating onthe first side of the fabric.
 10. The rainfly of claim 8, wherein saidonly one piece of fabric comprises a dark fabric coated with a coatingon the first side.
 11. The rainfly of claim 10, wherein the coating onthe first side comprises ultraviolet blocking additives.
 12. The rainflyof claim 10, wherein the coating on the first side comprises a urethanecoating with aluminum paste.
 13. A rainfly comprising a coating withultraviolet protective additive.
 14. The rainfly of claim 13, whereinthe coating comprises an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50 UPFor higher.
 15. The rainfly of claim 13, wherein the coating comprises aurethane coating with aluminum paste.
 16. The rainfly of claim 1,further including an attachment structure for permitting attachment ofthe rainfly to a tent with either the first side or the second sidefacing the tent.
 17. A tent comprising the rainfly of claim
 1. 18. Arainfly comprising a first side configured to reflect radiant heatenergy of the sun so that the inside of a tent on which the rainfly isplaced is maintained cooler than a tent not having such a rainfly. 19.The rainfly of claim 18, wherein the first side comprises a coating withwhite pigments positioned in between the first and second layers of thefabric.
 20. The rainfly of claim 19, wherein the coating comprises aurethane coating.
 21. The rainfly of claim 20, wherein the whitepigments comprise titanium dioxide.
 22. The rainfly of claim 19, whereinthe white pigments comprise titanium dioxide.
 23. The rainfly of claim18, wherein the first side comprises a light color fabric.
 24. A tentcomprising the rainfly of claim
 18. 25. A rainfly comprising a firstside configured to absorb or retain radiant heat energy of the sun andkeep a tent under the rainfly warmer in the sun than a tent notutilizing such a rainfly.
 26. The rainfly of claim 25, wherein the firstside comprises a dark color fabric.
 27. The rainfly of claim 25, whereinthe first side comprises a a coating with dark pigments.